1 of 4 Anastasia Knyazeva gave birth to her second child in Florianópolis after a not so good experience in Russia — Photo: Personal archive via BBC Anastasia Knyazeva gave birth to her second child in Florianópolis after a not so good experience in Russia — Photo: Personal archive via BBC
Anastasia Knyazeva, 32, gave birth to her first child in a hospital in Russia. In her opinion, the experience wasn’t bad, but it could have been better if her doctor treated her with more attention and patience.
When she became pregnant for the second time, the Sochibased Russian decided to look for other options that would help her fulfill her desire for a more humane birth. At the recommendation of a friend, she decided to travel to the south of Brazil to spend the last few months before the birth and delivery of her baby with her family.
“I had my first child in Russia and I can’t say it was a bad birth. I think I didn’t choose my doctor well and couldn’t relax. It all happened casually and without a more loving attitude,” says she, who moved to Florianópolis in November 2021 with her husband and their first child and gave birth to another boy in January.
“But in Brazil I had a wonderful experience. I gave birth at home with a caring midwife who helped me and made me feel safe.”
“It was all so good that I am now recommending it to all my friends who are going to be mothers. But nobody has followed in my footsteps so far, they think I’ve gone crazy,” she comments, laughing.
Anastasia’s reported surprise at choosing to give birth abroad is not uncommon when it comes to socalled “birth tourism.” However, the practice is reportedly on the rise in Brazil and has particularly caught the interest of Russian families.
Reasons given for seeking Brazil include a desire for more exclusive and friendly service, a growing interest in humanized and home births, and the ability to confer Brazilian citizenship on their children.
“I discovered this opportunity when a close friend told me she was giving birth to her second child in Brazil. At first I was shocked all I knew about the country was Carnival and Pelé,” says Anastasia.
“But later I understood that it was a perfect idea for our family.”
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russians do not need a visa to enter Brazil for stays up to 90 days.
There is no official data on the entry of pregnant women into Brazil. Health services also do not register the mother’s nationality at the time of the baby’s birth, only if she is a foreigner or not.
But according to researcher Svetlana Ruseishvili of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), who has been following the topic for years, the flow of Russian women traveling to Brazil to give birth has increased steadily since 2015.
“The cities that have most attracted Russian families are Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis and Santos,” says the Russian sociologist, who has lived in Brazil for over a decade.
2 of 4 Anastasia and family in Florianópolis before the birth of the second childAnastasia and family in Florianópolis before the birth of the second child — Photo: Personal archive via BBC Anastasia and family in Florianópolis before the birth of the second childAnastasia and family in Florianópolis before the birth of the second child — Photo: Personal Archive via BBC
Obstetrician Marli Nascimento works with families in Florianópolis and has acquired seven new clients from Russia in March alone.
“More and more Russian women are looking for me. In the last year alone, I think I’ve accompanied more than 50 women who came to Brazil to give birth,” says the nurse, who also offers prenatal care and breastfeeding advice.
“If I add up the clients who came to me after giving birth to help them breastfeed, it was over 80.”
Why Brazil?
According to the Ministry of Health and the scientific journal The Lancet, Brazil is second in the world for caesarean sections, behind only the Dominican Republic and with an index well above that reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) this procedure accounts for 57.7% of those in the world country, contrary to the recommendation of 15% of the organization.
So why is Brazil the travel destination of choice for so many Russian families?
For Svetlana Ruseishvili, it is a better alternative than Russia for many women. “More than anything, women who come to Brazil want their voice to be heard at birth. They all report that this is unthinkable in Russia,” he says.
The researcher explains that many mothers in the Eastern European country miss a more exclusive and friendlier service, especially in public hospitals. And private services can be very expensive.
In addition, there is growing interest in humanized and home births, but home births are illegal in Russia and midwives caught performing the procedure outside of the hospital could be prosecuted.
According to Ruseishvili, Russian families seeking Brazil are middle or upperclass and work in areas where remote work is possible. Precisely because of this, they are financially able to seek more specialized and humanized services something that is not available to most Brazilian women.
“But there are also those who go into the Brazilian civil service and many say they are better than in Russia,” he says.
3 of 4 According to Ruseishvili, Russian families seeking Brazil are middle or upper class and working in areas that allow remote work — Photo: GETTY IMAGES via BBC According to Ruseishvili, Russian families seeking Brazil are middle or upper class and working in areas that allow remote work — Photo: GETTY IMAGES via BBC
Women who travel to Brazil also claim to seek healthier food, a friendly climate and contact with nature.
“Besides giving birth at home which is forbidden in Russia I wanted to escape the winter, see the sea, eat fresh fruit and get to know a new country and culture,” says Anastasia.
“I know that in Brazil many women choose to have a cesarean section. But Brazil also has a long tradition of helping women. One of the most famous midwives in the world for defending natural childbirth lives in your country. It’s incredible and I was lucky to be a part of it,” he says, referring to Mexican midwife Naoli Vinaver, who popularized several natural birthing techniques and now lives and works in Florianópolis.
Brazilian passport
Another important point for many of the families including the Russian one from Sochi is the possibility of giving their children Brazilian citizenship.
“Giving our baby more options seemed like a good idea, especially now with the war in Ukraine.”
Since the invasion in 2022, the European Union (EU) has made it more difficult to issue visas to Russian tourists. The US had previously closed its consular services across the country.
On the other hand, the Brazilian passport allows visafree entry to more than 150 countries.
And in contrast to most countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, Brazil grants the right to citizenship without restrictions only through birth the socalled “jus soli”.
“This is an American phenomenon precisely because America is home to most of the countries where citizenship is attributed by place of birth,” explains Ruseishvili.
But Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile are among the most popular destinations, mainly due to the prices and the quality of the maternity services.
4 of 4 Anastasia claims that nature, climate and Brazilian fruits attracted her — Photo: Personal Archive via BBC Anastasia claims that nature, climate and Brazilian fruits attracted her — Photo: Personal Archive via BBC
“This migration has increased since the beginning of the war, especially after September 21, when there were partial mobilizations,” says the UFSCar researcher.
“Even before the war, many families were looking for an alternative for their children because there is this perception that Russia has no future, it will be closed and live without opportunities, including economically.”
According to Ruseishvili, many come to Brazil with the intention of staying permanently or using the country as an intermediate destination before emigrating elsewhere.
And facilitating the regularization of parents of children born in Brazil is an important part of the process.
Brazilian law grants immediate residency status to parents of babies born in the country. Naturalization after a year’s stay in Brazil is still possible, provided that basic knowledge of the Portuguese language can be proven.
Anastasia and her husband received a residence permit after the birth of their baby, but decided to return to Russia in May 2022.
“We know we can go back to Brazil to try the naturalization process, but we haven’t decided yet if that’s the route we want to take,” he says. “Life as an immigrant is not easy and I love my country.”
professional service
The demand for Russian families in Brazil has grown so much that special agencies have been created to serve them.
The services offered include translation, help with finding accommodation, indication of the medical team, rental of cots, assistance with obtaining documents and even a private driver, photo opportunity and other “extras”.
The price varies depending on the support chosen, but the average is over US$5,000 (R$23,000).
Families also frequently share experiences and point out services through communities on social networks.
“I had a translator who helped me even though my midwife spoke English. It was useful because during labor I felt more comfortable using my native language,” Anastasia told BBC Brasil.
The Russian also learned a little Portuguese and more about the local culture during her visit to the country. “Brazil has become part of our lives. After my return I even started taking samba lessons. I love it!”
“Birth Tourism”?
Researcher Svetlana Ruseishvili says that when done properly, the practice is not considered illegal.
In Argentina, the movement drew much criticism after local authorities announced an investigation into a “millionaire business and illegal network” that allegedly in record time provided pregnant Russian women and their partners with fake documents to come and live in Argentina could . . .
Women were also arrested upon arrival in the country for “documentation issues,” according to Argentina’s migration agency.
“But this practice is not illegal in Brazil,” says Ruseishvili. “And care must be taken that these women do not become victims of xenophobic discourse.”
She also doesn’t like the term ‘birth tourism’, used to describe the migration of pregnant women outside their country.
“I think the best term to describe it is ‘birth mobility’ as it’s not just a tourism phenomenon. Tourism means shortterm displacement, but these women don’t necessarily return to their countries,” she says.
“We’re talking about an extremely contemporary form of immigration.”